According to one study, about 18% of American adults have used supplements or natural herbs.
You may be interested in joining these adults who rely on natural remedies rather than prescription ones, but where do you start?
Here are the different types of anti-aging supplements and vitamins you should take as you age.
Zinc
Zinc is one of the most important natural supplements that you can take.
This mineral is used for boosting your immune system and helping to heal wounds. However, it can also protect your skin from UV rays and damage, which means that your skin will look healthier longer.
One study that gave rats zinc noticed that they had fewer free radicals in their DNA, which slowed down the aging process.
This doesn't always mean it will work for humans. More studies need to be done, but it is promising.
If you do want to start taking zinc, the National Institutes of Health says that adults shouldn't take more than 40 mg per day.
Calcium
Calcium is also important to take as you get older.
When you age, you start to lose more of this mineral than your body can take in. This will make your bones weaker which could lead to osteoporosis. This is especially true for women who are post-menopause.
Calcium is an important supplement that helps your cells, blood vessels, muscles, and nerves.
You get a lot of it from your bones, but you can also get it in foods like milk, cheese, and yogurt.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is also an important vitamin that you should make sure you take.
Vitamin C can be found in high levels in your outer and inner layers of skin. Vitamin C has antioxidant and cancer-fighting properties. It also helps collagen production which can keep your skin looking healthy and young.
If you look at the ingredients in a lot of skincare products, you'll see that Vitamin C is normally listed.
When you take it orally, it can help increase how effective your sunscreen is and block out harmful UV rays. It will help to decrease the cell damage and heal your body's wounds.
Vitamin C also can reduce the appearance of wrinkles to help slow down the aging process.
The recommended dosage fo Vitamin C is 1,000 mg per day, but you can also eat foods high in Vitamin C.
Collagen Peptides
We already mentioned that collagen is important for keeping your skin looking young and tight, but there are two important proteins that makeup collagen.
They're proline and glycine, and they're essential for repairing your tendons, muscles, bone, and joints.
However, they also help keep your skin firm. Both of these are found in collagen peptide.
One study found that women who consumed 2.5 to 5 grams of collagen for four to eight weeks showed improvements in their skin tightness.
The recommended dosage is about a tablespoon of collagen powder a day. You can mix this into your smoothie, coffee, or soup.
Selenium
Selenium is also an important mineral that can help protect your body from cancer, including sun exposure and skin cancer.
It will also help to improve the elasticity of your skin, which can slow down the aging process and prevent the hardening of some of your tissues.
You can find this mineral in whole grain cereals, garlic, eggs, and seafood.
Some studies on animals have shown that when it's taken orally, it can help prevent UV damage, which could keep you looking younger longer. However, while the results are promising, studies in humans still need to be done.
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is important in making your nerve and blood cells, which really needs help once you start the aging process.
Normally, you can get it naturally from animal foods. You can find it in eggs, dairy, fish, and meat.
However, if you don't eat any of those, you can also get it in pills and shots. There are also foods that are fortified with B12.
Most Americans normally eat enough, but once you age, your body processes it differently. It can actually make it harder for your body to absorb those foods.
You should take enough because things like medications and weight loss surgery can actually give you a lack of B12.
Vitamin K
Lastly, Vitamin K is important when helping your body with the aging process.
Vitamin K helps your blood clot, which can ease bruises, wounds, and areas affected by surgery to heal faster.
Vitamin K is also known to heal spider veins, scars, dark spots, circles under your eyes, and stretch marks.
You can find Vitamin K in oral form or in a cream. Doctors normally use creams that contain Vitamin K to help people who have just had surgery.
Most people probably won't have a Vitamin K deficiency, but if you do, you should get around 90 and 120 ug per day.
As with any supplement, make sure that you talk to your doctor before starting one. You'll want to know about any side effects or interactions with any of your other medications.
Discover More Anti-Aging Supplements
These are only a few of the anti-aging supplements that you can find.
There are so many more out there that are healthy for you and can help slow down the aging process so that you can look a little bit younger for a little bit longer. If you enjoyed this article, make sure you check out our website for others just like it!
